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No. 6|3,854. Patented Nov. 8, I898. A. 002E.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING INCLINED GAS RETORTS.

(Application filed Dec. 23, 1897.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

14 Qua M4034 Hi norms vrrzns cu, Puma-mm wmumemu, n. c.

Patented Nov. 8, I898.

No. 6l3,854.

A. CUZE.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING INGLINED GAS RETDBTS.

(Application filed Dac. 23, 1897.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

FIlli 4 Wow YHE Nonms Patented Nov. 8, I898.

7 A. CUZE.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING INGLINED GAS BETURTS.

(Application filed Dec. 23, 1897.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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No. 68,854. Patented Nov. 8, I898.

A. CUZE.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING INCLINED GAS RETUBTS.

(Applic ltion filed Dec. 28 1897.) (No mm.) "4 Sheets-Shaot 4.

ms NORR\$ PETERS 00., Puomufua. WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

ANDRE oozn, on RHEIMS, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING INCLINED GAS-RETORTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,854, dated November 8, 1898.

Application filed December 23, 1897. Serial No. 663,128. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDRE: OOZE, of the city of Rheims, France, have invented Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Inclined Gas-Retorts, (for which I'have obtained Letters Patent in France May 28,1897,No. 267,365; in Belgium May 28, 1897, No. 128,554, and in Switzerland May 28, 1897, No. 14,349,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to elevating apparatus for charging inclined retorts in gas and other works.

In order to utilize the fall of the coal into the inclined retort, the coal must necessarily be raised above the bench in order to be charged into the retorts, and the retort-house must therefore be very high to allow of the coal-bunker being placed above the retortbench and the coal to be charged by mechanical means into the retorts, or a lift must be used for raising the trucks to the top of the bench. In most cases, however, where horizontal are to be replaced by'inclined retorts the height of existing buildings does not admit of locating a coal-bunker above the bench while, the works being comparatively small, no motive power is available, so that two insurmountable obstacles are presented to the adoption of inclined-retorts and the mode of charging which their use involves. With a view to obviate these objections it is proposed to place the coal-bunker on the ground-level in front of the retorts and to elevate the coal for charging the inclined retorts by means of a system of traveling elevator actuated either by hand or power. This system, which forms the subject of the present application for Letters Patent, will be readily understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a transverse vertical section of the apparatus and the parts cooperating therewith, the section being taken on line 1 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a face View of the same; Fig. 3, a plan View of the apparatus with parts broken away and omitted for the purpose of clearness. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of the apparatus, the section being taken on line 3 4, Fig. 3. same on line 5 6, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the Fig. 6 is a detail end view of a portion of the apparatus; Fig. 7 a face view of the same, and Fig. 8 a horizontal sectional detail view of the stop-motion for the skips.

The same letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

The apparatus comprises a metal framework a of a traveling support which is adapted to move upon rails c d, parallel to the front I) of the bench, on top of which the rail 0 is laid that constitutes an additional track for the traveling support. From pulleys e, mounted at the upper part of the frame or support a, are suspended two balanced skips f f, which are preferably guided in their vertical movement by rollers g, which travel upon the uprights of the framing. The shaft of the one pulley e carries a pulley h, which re* ceives motion from a chain, cable, or beltt' from a winch-handle 75 on the shaft of pulley Z for the purpose of raising the charge of coal contained in one of the skips. The skip is providedwitha door m, which is opened and closed by means of levers n, and the bottom of the skip is inclined, so as to cause the coal to slide down by gravity. An extension or chute 0 is jointed to the skip at p and is operated by levers q q, the latter of which is provided with lugs r. By means of these levers the chute is brought to the mouth of the retort, when the skip is brought opposite to the latter, so that coal may be discharged from the skip into the retort. After the coal has been charged into the retort this chute 0 may be swung back under the skip, as illustrated at the lower portion of Fig. 1, so as to offer no obstruction to the raising and lowering of the skip.

Any suitable means of holding the skips stationary maybe employed-such, for example, as a lever s, moving over a quadrant s and operating to shift bars t laterally, which bars carry bolts u to M which project at right angles to the bars, and each of said bolts is provided with an end which is bent into a plane which is parallel to the face of the bars 25 and is adapted to engage a bracket 00 on each of the skips for locking the latter at any one of the three levels shown in Fig. 6 corresponding to the three tiers of retorts o o 42 It will be understood that a movement of the lever s will force the bars 25 to either one of the positions indicated in Fig. 7 and that such movement will cause the ends of the bolts to, it, and a to be forced under the brackets a: on the skips or withdrawn from such position, as the case may be. When the bolts are under the brackets, the skips are locked against movement.

In order that the empty skip shall always descend to the same level whatever may be the position of the upper skip during the charging of the retorts, a tension-pulley y, Figs. 2 and 4:, is applied in the bight of the suspension-chain and is operated by a winchhandle a through a rope 1, winding on and off a drum 2, Fig. 5, so as to regulate the effective length of the suspension-chain, according as the upper skip is raised to the one or other tier of retorts while the other skip descends into position to be refilled from the inclined chutes 3 of the coal-hopper 4-, which is supplied from the trucks 5 or otherwise. The chutes are so arranged that the empty skip on reaching the filling position will be filled while the upper skip is discharging its contents into the retort. Each chute 3 is closed by a flap-valve 6, operated by a hand-lever 7 and forming a continuation of the chute, so as to bridge over the space between the chute and the empty skip, which has been lowered to the bottom of the pit below the carriage, as is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. A winch handle 8 operates simultaneously the shaft of wheels 9, traveling on rail 0, and the shaft of wheels 10, running on rail cl, for moving the traveling support along the face of the bench of retorts and bringing each skip, which has been previously raised to the proper height, opposite the retort to be charged.

11 is a platform supported 011 the carriage on which the stokers stand.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with abench of inclined retorts, of a traveling support adapted to travel on rails along the top and at front of the retort bench, mechanism mounted on said framework for suspending, guiding, elevating and lowering a plurality of skips, means for regulating the eifective length of the elevating-chain of said skips, means for locking the elevated skip at the required height during the charging of a retort, and means for charging one skip while another is in position to discharge its contents, substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for charging inclined retorts, the combination of a traveling support,

a plurality of hopper-shaped skips suspended in and adapted to work up and down vertical guides on said traveling support, a dis charging-door for each of said skips, means for controlling said door, an extension-chute pivoted to the skip and adapted either to come into position to form a continuation of the inclined bottom of the skip or to be swung beneath the skip and out of the way accordin g as the discharging-door is opened or closed, and m cans for operating said extension-chute, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a traveling support adapted to travel along the front of a bench of inclined retorts,a plurality of skips adapted to be raised and lowered upon said support, a hopper-shaped coal-bunker placed at the ground-level and facing the retort-bench and provided with inclined discharge spouts, means for controlling the delivery of coal therethrough and extension-spouts pivoted thereto and adapted to form inclined continuations of said discharge-spouts for conveying the coal therefrom into the lowered skip, whereby the skips are adapted to receive coal directly from the coal-bunker and deliver it to the retorts and whereby one skip may be discharging coal while another is receiving it.

4. The combination of a traveling support adapted to travel along the front of a bench of inclined retorts,a plurality of skips adapted when in the elevated position to discharge their contentsinto the inclined retorts, means carried by said support for raising and lowering said skips, a coal-bunker placed at the ground -level facing the retort-bench and adapted to discharge coal into the skips and means for controlling the outlets of said bunker.

5. The combination of a traveling support adapted to travel along the front of a bench of inclined retorts,a plurality of skips adapted when in the elevated position to discharge their contents into the inclined retorts, a discharge-door for each of said skips, means for operating said doors, means carried by the support for raising and lowering the skips, means for locking the skips in the discharg ing and filling positions, a coal-bunker placed at the ground-level facing the retort-bench and adapted to discharge coal into the skips, and means for controlling the outlets of said bunkers. 4

The foregoing specification of my improvements in apparatus for charging inclined gasretorts signed by me this 3d day of December, 1897.

ANDRE COZE.

W'itnesses:

EDWARD P. .MACLEAN, MAURIoE HENRI PIGNET. 

